


Longest Day

by elaine



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode Related, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-04-22
Updated: 1999-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 14:09:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14403777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elaine/pseuds/elaine
Summary: A tag for the episode 'Forever in a Day'





	Longest Day

As always, in Jack's mind at least, the skirmish resolved itself into a series of impressions… noises, brief glimpses of struggling, and dying, bodies. Of people running; or lifting and aiming weapons. In the midst of it he was aware of Daniel, running towards the tent, and he cursed to himself. As much as Daniel had learned from being a member of SG1, he still had an incredible talent for putting himself in danger. There was no telling what might be awaiting him in that tent, but Daniel would no doubt go rushing in without a second thought, and Jack was far too far away to be able to do more than pick up the pieces afterwards.

Teal'c's eyes met Jack's across the battlefield. Teal'c was closer. Not close enough to stop Daniel, but maybe close enough to save him if he should be in danger. Jack gave the big Jaffa the signal. The 'go save Daniel' signal they'd perfected over so many missions, and Teal'c turned, following the slim figure. Then Daniel slipped inside the tent and Jack was on his way, cursing furiously under his breath.

By the time Jack reached the tent Carter was there too. Incredible how, even with a personal bodyguard of three, Daniel still managed to get into trouble on a regular basis. Then Jack heard the sizzle of Teal'c's staff weapon and he knew, deep in his gut, that something bad had happened. Steeling himself for the worst, Jack slipped through the opening of the tent and nearly bumped into the solid frame of Teal'c's body.

With a sinking feeling in his heart, Jack took in the scene. Daniel, unconscious or dead, lying on his side facing his wife, Sha're. And Sha're was dying, along with the Goa'uld within her. Jack watched helplessly as Daniel's eyes flickered open and his hand lifted weakly, reaching for her. He never quite made it. The glow faded out of her eyes and for a moment she was only Sha're, the woman Daniel had loved. Then she was dead.

Beside him Teal'c shifted slightly, uncharacteristically restive. "I am sorry DanielJackson."

Daniel didn't move. None of them did.

Jack's chest hurt. He dragged in a huge breath, suddenly remembering to breathe, and the pain eased a little. Beside him Sam made a quiet, hurt sound and went over to kneel at Daniel's side. As badly as Jack wanted to be there too, he figured there were some things best left to a woman to do, and this was one of them.

"You did the right thing, Teal'c." He met Teal'c's dark eyes squarely. They both knew that wasn't the issue. The big question was, would Daniel ever forgive him?

*

At long last the clean up was over. The wounded had been given what treatment was available on site and the dead had been gathered up to be returned to Earth. Jack made sure that Sam and Daniel were in the first group to go through the Gate, before moving on to the final act. He watched as the tent, loaded with combustibles, went up in flames. He had no intention of allowing the Goa'uld to revive Sha're's body, to further torment Daniel. He'd seen her die once and that was more than enough. It ended here, and if Jack joined Teal'c on Daniel's list of former friends he'd still consider it a price worth paying.

Once they were all back through the Gate and into the base, the Daniel Jackson Protection Society went into full on-mode. There wasn't a moment during the awkward gathering in the Gate room, the physical exam, or the de-briefing session when one or more of them wasn't hovering anxiously somewhere close by. Daniel seemed completely oblivious to it all, answering direct questions but otherwise taking no notice of the proceedings. When it ended the three of them watched Daniel walk down the hallway, having failed to talk him out of driving himself home, and exchanged worried glances.

"Think he'll make it, sir?" Carter, alone of them, was willing to voice her concern.

Jack shrugged. "Hell, I'm not even sure he'll manage to get out of the parking lot." He caught her puzzled look. "Oh. You mean, get over Sha're? Damned if I know." It was a question that had been bugging him a lot longer than the last few hours. He'd given up all hope for Sha're from the moment they found out she'd been implanted with a Goa'uld. Trouble was, Daniel hadn't, in spite of everything they knew that said it was a one way ticket. "I've told one of the security team to follow him. Make sure he doesn't drive off a cliff or anything."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, which said pretty much everything he needed to say, and turned away. Sam watched him go, then looked up at Jack. "Maybe one of us should check up on Daniel."

Jack knew what that meant. His apartment was a whole lot closer to Daniel's than Sam's was. Well, he'd planned on stopping by anyway, he just didn't see any need to tell that to Sam or anyone else. He might not be able to stop Daniel bringing out the mother hen instinct in him, but he'd be damned if he was going to parade it in front of the whole of SGC. "Ya think?" He heaved a longsuffering sigh. "All right, I'll head over there in a coupla hours."

*

Gate hopping could be a bitch sometimes. They'd spent a whole day on P8X-872 and arrived back just after noon on Earth. Even after all the apres mission hoopla, it was still only early evening when Jack parked outside Daniel's apartment building. There was no answer when he knocked on Daniel's door.

Jack mentally reviewed his options. He knew, from Security, that Daniel had arrived safely back at his apartment building. So that left three possibilities.

One: Daniel was sleeping, or crying, or just didn't want to come to the door. Response: either keep knocking, or go away again and leave him alone.

Two: Worst case scenario. Daniel had eaten his gun, or used any one of a number of tried and true methods to end it all. Response: get the building supervisor to let him into the apartment and call the security team from base to take away any classified materials.

Three: Less worst case scenario. Daniel had taken a handful of his allergy medication with a large whisky chaser, or maybe slit his wrists, and was slowly dying on the other side of the door. Response: break down the apartment door making as much of a fuss as possible, and then call an ambulance.

Oh well... Jack pulled out the key he'd finagled out of Security and opened the door quietly. The apartment was deserted. So… option four: Daniel had gone for a walk and hopefully would be back soon. Jack considered the possibility of waiting in the hallway for Daniel's return and decided against it. It had been a very long day and he was tired. The armchair was much more inviting than an empty hallway.

*

The apartment was in almost complete darkness when Daniel returned, and Jack had come close to dozing off a couple of times. The quiet click of the lock alerted him and he pulled himself almost upright in the chair and scrubbed at his face with his hands. When there was no corresponding click of a light switch, Jack felt his heart sink. He remembered all too well the nights he'd sat alone in the dark after Charlie had died.

"Hey, Danny-boy. I was passing and I thought I'd see how you were. Where ya been?"

The dim outline of Daniel's figure came to a halt. "Jack? I was out walking. How did you get in here?"

He sounded more tired than anything else. Jack reached over and switched on the table lamp. Daniel stood with shoulders slumped, blinking in the subdued light.

"Uh, I got your key off Security. They made me give a deposit. I lose it if I don't get the key back to them by midnight." Jack grinned weakly, expecting a burst of outrage, or at least mild annoyance, but Daniel just stood there, swaying a little, and staring blankly. "We were worried about you."

"Oh." Daniel shambled over to the couch and dropped into it. He stared down at his hands, clasped loosely between his knees. The silence stretched out way past Jack's comfort zone.

"Look… Daniel…" Jack quickly considered a number of possible opening lines and discarded them all. Dammit, Sam could have done this better. He was no good at heart to heart stuff. Jack seized on practicalities like they were a lifeline. "It's late. You had anything to eat?"

Daniel considered the question for a moment. "I don't think so."

"Okay, how about I order some pizza? I'm kinda hungry myself." Without waiting for an answer, Jack reached for his cell phone, wondering how many whiskies he could get Daniel to drink while they waited for the delivery boy. Whisky always seemed to help him loosen up, maybe it would work for Daniel too. Though you never could be sure of anything with Daniel…

*

Two whiskies were enough, it seemed. By the time the pizzas arrived, Daniel was slouching back in the couch, his head thrown back, eyes closed. He wasn't asleep, but he wasn't getting talkative either. It was unnatural for any room Daniel was in to be so silent. Jack ate most of the pizza, glumly contemplating his next move.

"You wanna talk about it?" Direct Approach #310.

Daniel sighed.

Okay. Try Direct Approach #224… "Teal'c's really cut up about this. He isn't saying much…" like somebody else I know… "but I can tell."

"He killed Sha're!" Daniel's outraged tone indicated that Teal'c should be upset.

"Daniel, we both know the Goa'uld killed Sha're a long time ago. Teal'c just killed her body." Jack's voice came out soft, sympathetic, as Daniel allowed his pain to surface at last. "The snake was killing you. I would have done the same as he did. So would Carter."

Daniel turned his head away. "She wouldn't have killed me. I was getting through to her, Jack. Maybe I could have saved her."

"From what Teal'c told me, it didn't look like that." Jack thought about reaching out to touch him and decided against it. Daniel wasn't ready for that yet. "Maybe you thought her life was worth the risk, but it was a price none of us were willing to pay. You mean too much to us, Daniel."

The slim figure shot up straight in the couch and turned furious eyes on him. "If I mean so much, then you should have thought about what I wanted before you killed my wife. Goddammit, Jack, I loved her."

There was a brief silence as they both digested that last sentence. 'Loved, not 'love'. As though Daniel had long ago faced this loss, even if he hadn't been willing to admit it to himself. A tiny tendril of hope stirred in Jack's gut. "I know."

Daniel twisted around, facing away from Jack, drawing his legs up and hunching over them as if in physical pain. His head was bowed over his knees, hiding his face, even when Jack went to kneel beside him. Jack wrapped his arms around the slim shoulders and drew Daniel close. His fingers strayed lightly over the soft brown hair.

When Daniel finally spoke his voice was muffled and thick with tears. "I don't think I can do it, Jack. I was alone for so long before I met Sha're. She gave me a family… a place where I belonged. I don't want to be alone again."

Jack's heart began to race, battering painfully against his ribs. This was the opening he'd wanted for so long he couldn't remember when it had started. And this was the worst possible time for it to happen. All the same, he couldn't, for his own sake or Daniel's, let it go by unused. "Danny-boy… you're not alone."

But Daniel's head was shaking slowly from side to side. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Jack. You and Sam and Teal'c… you're the best friends I've ever had, but it's not the same thing. You know that."

Jack ran his hand down the long curve of Daniel's spine. He knew all too well. "Maybe this isn't the best time to tell you this, but… look, I just want you to know, okay?" Jack hesitated, picking his words carefully. "Daniel, you're not alone. There's someone who…" he couldn't quite bring himself to say the word. "…someone who cares about you."

Daniel's head lifted and turned to him, and Jack moved back a little to give him space. A puzzled crease appeared between Daniel's eyebrows. "Sam? But…"

"Not Sam." He took a deep breath. It was one of those now or never moments. "Me."

He'd often thought about what Daniel's reaction might be. In his mind he'd run through every gamut of emotion from violent rejection to delighted pleasure, but Daniel didn't appear to react at all. The tiny frown stayed on his face and Daniel stared at him unblinkingly for long seconds. Then he uncurled his body and turned to face Jack, still without showing any emotion.

Jack fought the urge to fill the silence with his usual smart-ass patter. He didn't entirely succeed. "Hello? Earth to Daniel…" he waved his hands in front of Daniel's eyes and Daniel blinked again. His lips parted slightly but no words came out. Jack started to worry. "Talk to me Daniel. Say something for God's sake."

"You?" Daniel swallowed, looking very young and uncertain. "Jack… you?"

"Me." Jack studied Daniel carefully. "Are you okay? You're not gonna start avoiding me or anything, are ya?"

"No!" Daniel seemed shocked by the suggestion and Jack immediately felt a bit better. "It… it wouldn't be the first time… I mean, there's been… uh… other guys… well, one other guy." He blinked again. "I just never thought that you…"

Sweet. Jack smiled and leaned forward a little, unable to resist the temptation to get closer to Daniel once more. "So you're okay with it?"

"I guess so." The words sounded rather dubious, and Daniel blushed suddenly. "I'm sorry. It's just…"

"It's just the wrong time. I know that, Danny-boy. It's okay." Jack laid his hand against Daniel's cheek.

Daniel seemed comfortable with the touch. Comfortable enough that Jack found himself pressing a kiss on Daniel's parted lips. It was a chaste enough kiss and Daniel responded with a simplicity that was almost child-like. Except that no child ever parted his lips as invitingly as Daniel did. Jack deepened the kiss for a moment, then drew back.

He was shaking. He'd never expected to get this far, and especially not tonight. Jack stared at his hand as it lifted, incredibly slowly, to brush back the long strands of gold-brown hair from Daniel's eyes. His fingers drifted across the warm skin of Daniel's brow, tantalising his senses with the brief contact.

"You want me to stay tonight, Daniel? Not…" Jack swallowed painfully. Even the thought of being with Daniel made him ache. "Not any funny stuff. Just for company. I promise."

The blue eyes widened and Daniel's breath seemed to come a little quicker. "I… yes, please." And then Daniel's head dropped forward so the hair veiled most of his face.

At last Jack took Daniel's slim frame into his arms, cradling him gently. They stayed like that for a long time until Jack's legs began to cramp and his knees to ache. "Hey, Daniel. I'm getting too old for this, ya know?"

"Oh!" Daniel looked embarrassed and more than a little unsure of himself. "I suppose we should…"

"Yeah." Jack was actually beginning to enjoy himself. He stood, stretching to even out the kinks in his back and held out a hand.

Daniel took it without the slightest hesitation, using it to lever himself out of the couch, and they stood close together, their hands still loosely clasped. Then Daniel moved forward, into Jack's arms. Jack could almost feel Daniel's exhaustion in the droop of his head, the heavy limpness of his muscles. He tightened his hold and rested his cheek against Daniel's soft hair. "Hey, Space Monkey. It's gonna be all right. I promise."

Instead of answering, Daniel turned his head slightly and Jack felt the brush of lips against his throat. It sent a rush of warmth through his body. This was getting dangerously seductive, and Jack knew he'd never forgive himself if he allowed Daniel's grief and loneliness to lead them into something Daniel might later regret. He forced himself to ignore the delicious ache in his groin and rubbed Daniel's back in much the same way he'd done for Charlie when he'd been sick or upset. The thought helped to centre Jack's emotions.

"Bed, kiddo." Amazingly, he managed to say it in a brisk, father-knows-best tone that cut through Daniel's drowsy sensuality. He smiled at Daniel's startled expression and took his hand again, leading him towards the bedroom. "This old man needs his beauty sleep. Not like you."

Daniel followed him easily. He could easily get addicted to this, Jack thought, and it didn't hurt that Daniel seemed to have mostly lost the ability to speak. But, once in the bedroom and faced with the wide double bed, it took all Jack's self control to maintain the light tone in his voice as he ordered Daniel into the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth. He stripped off his shirt and jeans and sat on the edge of the bed in just his t-shirt and shorts. Waiting for Daniel. He shivered.

But when Daniel appeared in the bathroom doorway, minus his glasses, he looked so vulnerable that all Jack's protective impulses came to the fore once again. He gestured carelessly at the bed. "Which side, Danny-boy?"

Daniel shrugged. "Don't mind." He shambled over to the bed and sat on the opposite side, pulling his sweatshirt off over his head. He dropped it on the floor. The jeans followed. Jack gritted his teeth. This was Daniel's apartment and he could make as much mess as he liked, after all. Jack slid under the covers, his heart racing a little. He felt Daniel's weight settle beside him and turned his head to see Daniel smiling at him.

"Thanks, Jack. I appreciate this." He seemed surprisingly comfortable with the situation. More comfortable than Jack felt. Daniel slid closer and before Jack knew what was happening, he had an armful of warm body. A soft mouth pressed against his own. Then, just as Jack thought his head, or other parts of his body, might explode, Daniel's head dropped to rest against his shoulder and a long arm was flung across his chest. "Night, Jack."

Jack sighed. How was he supposed to sleep now? But some things were worth the aggravation, and Daniel was definitely one of them. After all, he could always catch up on his sleep later. He tightened his arm in a quick hug. "Night Danny-boy."

 


End file.
